The Detroit Pistons clinched a playoff spot on Friday night with their 117-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors. Detroit is in the postseason one year after finishing with the worst record in the NBA at 14-61, and set a league record for the longest single-season losing streak at 28 games.
Interestingly, the Pistons broke that streak against the Raptors, the same team against whom they finished off an impressive one-season turnaround.
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Previously, no team in NBA history has ever gone from winning just 14 games to making the playoffs the following season. At 43-34 going into Saturday’s matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Pistons can finish no worse than the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, finishing ahead of a play-in tournament spot.
“It’s a big deal for the group,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said afterward. “We typically don’t take time to reflect on where we are, but this is an opportunity for this group to reflect on where it is, where it’s come from and what it’s been able to accomplish together. To turn it around the way they have and put themselves in this position to play in the postseason, it’s a big deal.”
Bickerstaff is in his first year as Pistons coach after being dismissed by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Tim Hardaway Jr. led Detroit with 23 points, shooting 5-of-9 on 3-pointers. Jalen Duren finished with 21 points and 18 rebounds, shooting 9-of-11 from the floor. Malik Beasley also had 21 points.
The Pistons played without Cade Cunningham, who missed his sixth consecutive game with a calf injury, and Tobias Harris. Isaiah Stewart served the second part of his two-game suspension for his involvement in an on-court scuffle with the Minnesota Timberwolves last Sunday.
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Toronto closed its deficit to 95-91 with eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but Detroit put the game away with an 8-2 run puncuated by an Ausar Thompson dunk. Ja’Kobe Walter finished with 22 points for the Raptors, followed by Jamal Shead and Immanuel Quickley each scoring 14. With the defeat, Toronto dropped to 28-50, 7 1/2 games out of a play-in tournament bid.
Detroit ends the regular season with two games against the Milwaukee Bucks, with whom they’re battling for the No. 5 seed. At the fifth spot (with a shot at finishing fourth), the Pistons would likely face the Indiana Pacers in the first round, while placing sixth would match them up with the New York Knicks.
Ian Casselberry
